county and it’s probably going to affect our ability to serve the homeless.” Rev. Brummit also pointed out that the city did not issue a RFP (Request for Proposal) for the NHAC for this change in operations. While Broward Partnership had submitted two RFPs in previous years, there was no recent proposal made. While Miami Rescue Mission will continue to operate their facilities in Miami and Hollywood, the future of Saint Laurence is deeply precarious. As a much smaller organization, Saint Laurence was deeply dependent on the county’s space at the NHAC and on its funding for the 29 low demand emergency overnight beds it had been operating. Herdeen said that without the space and funding, Saint Laurence may not survive. The organization’s board of directors has given Herdeen until the end of June to secure affordable space from which to operate, or the nonprofit will most likely fold. “We are at a crossroads and in crisis as to whether we can survive this transition,” Herdeen said. “We must find a building with low or no rent. If we do not obtain a place for our ministry, it may mean the end of Saint Laurence’s 31 years of services to this very needy population.”
Herdeen also raised her concerns that Pompano Beach now has no low-demand emergency overnight beds for individuals not participating in Broward Partnership’s program, either because they are on the wait list or are “fringe cases” that don’t fit in to the program — such as mental or physical disabilities that make individuals less apt to do or stay in the program. Saint Laurence’s staff nurse, Lonette Avery, said she has been in contact with several of Saint Laurence’s former clients who are now sleeping on the streets. One of those
clients, Avery said, had just completed her schooling and was in the process of looking for a job when Saint Laurence closed. While that client still has access to the north day respite center, she sleeps on the street at night, which Avery said will definitely hinder her progress. Herdeen said if Saint Laurence does miraculously find a space from which to operate before the end of June, she will attempt to renegotiate a new contract with the county for funding for the low-demand emergency overnight beds. When asked why Broward County decided to replace Saint Laurence and Miami Rescue Mission and terminate funding for low-demand emergency overnight beds at a county commission meeting on January 29, Mandy Wells, deputy director of Broward County’s human services department said there were “a number of factors.” The NHAC under the operations of Saint Laurence and Miami Rescue Mission had a history of receiving community complaints about loitering, large crowds, dirty conditions and inconsistencies between how the two operators functioned. Miami Rescue Mission was also deeply criticized by County Commission Mayor and District Two Commissioner Mark D. Bogen for abruptly shutting down their overnight facilities last October in response to a contract dispute with the county. Miami Rescue mission reportedly shut down a total of 60 overnight beds in Hollywood and Pompano for about a week. The president of Miami Rescue Mission, Rev. Ron Brummit, said the shutdown was strictly a result of being financially strapped without an agreed contract for the overnight beds from the county. “We’re not holding a knife to people’s throats. It’s just economics,” Brummit told the Sun Sentinel in October. “We’re putting out $100,000 cash a week. That’s for both centers … without a contract.” County Mayor Bogen, however, publicly reamed Rev. Brummit. “I sit here very angry,” Mayor Bogen said. “I’m disgusted how you [Rev. Brummit] contributed and ordered that the facility in Pompano keep 60 people outside one night because of a negotiating tactic with Broward County. You weren’t getting what you wanted with Broward County, so you kept nearly 60 people on the street…That’s disgusting. When you will use homeless people as a negotiating tactic…finally the county has made a great decision to put in a quality operator.” Herdeen said Saint Laurence was told by the county the decision was made out of “convenience, not cause.” Wells echoed this: “We decided it was much more efficient and impactful to have one service operator that would provide all services up there.” Herdeen has asked for the community’s support in finding a space for Saint Laurence. She can be contacted at lorryh@att.net or by phone at 954-972-2958. Y
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